Editor's Note

The Charge

"There are no happy endings, because nothing ends."-Schmendrick the
Magician

The Case

When I reviewed the first release of The Last Unicorn for the site, I
was pleasantly surprised. Not because it's a great film by any set of criteria,
but because it was far more ambitious than other animated films from that era.
Based on the Peter S. Beagle book, The Last Unicorn attempts to be both a
requiem and a renaissance for fairy tales. As I've returned to the film to
review the 25th Anniversary Edition, I've found myself less forgiving of The
Last Unicorn's many flaws. It's a much better edition, though.

The story begins with a lonely unicorn (Mia Farrow, The Omen), who is surprised to overhear that
she may be the last of her kind. She embarks from her forest to try and find
others, to no avail. Instead, she is captured by a witch, but set free by a
pathetic, would-be magician named Schmendrick (Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine). They travel
together, heading for the lands of the lonely King Haggard (Christopher Lee, Corpse Bride). The King has captured
the unicorns, employing his fiery red bull to force them into the sea. In order
to protect the unicorn, Shmendrick transforms her into a human, but things
become complicated when Haggard's son Lir (Jeff Bridges, Tideland) falls in love with her.

The more time I spend with The Last Unicorn, the more I think about
how great it could have been. All of the elements are in place to tell a great
fantasy tale, but the pieces themselves are deeply flawed. As a result, it can
only ever be truly appreciated as either a positive childhood memory or a noble
attempt at offering children something new and different.

The new transfer only highlights the aging, rough animation. The backdrops
are beautifully painted, creating enchanting vistas for the action. The
character animation is weak, though, and the figures never look like they belong
in such a beautiful place. This is not the only character problem. While the
performers are all excellent, few of them are good choices for the roles they
have been given. Alan Arkin is one of the worst possible choices for
Schmendrick, and it's impossible to adjust to hearing his voice come out of that
image. The same is true of Jeff Bridges, whose portrayal of Lir is not as heroic
sounding as the character needs to be. Mia Farrow sounds a bit anemic, and only
Christopher Lee really brings what's needed to his role.

The above problems keep us from connecting with the production, a problem
that is amplified by the rushed script that only occasionally reveals the
intelligence and creativity of the source material. Like so many fairy tales,
The Last Unicorn is a requiem, which takes a careful look at a world too
dull and mundane to believe in fairy tales anymore. It also tries to connect
children with a beautiful, fantastic world where imagination can create magic.
Unfortunately, too many moments fall flat, preventing it from becoming a film
that could share a shelf with Peter
Pan or The Neverending Story. In
my last review, I mentioned that a new version of The Last Unicorn was in
production. Unfortunately, that production has been since halted.

At very least, this new DVD offers fans a much more appealing package. The
picture is widescreen, and well-mastered enough to appreciate all of the print
damage and weaknesses in animation. The color saturation, sharpness, and black
levels are all vastly superior, and it is in its original aspect ratio. It has
been mastered from a PAL print, but there are only a few issues from that
transfer. The sound has been mixed up to 5.1, and while the mix rarely makes use
of the full sound stage, the dialogue is clear and the music spreads across the
front nicely. Several of the sequences make use of the surrounds as well. There
are also a few special features, including a couple of DVD games, a production
featurette, and a photo gallery. For fans of the film, this is worth an initial
purchase or an update.

For the rest of us, I'm not sure it's worth checking out a film that shows
so much more potential than payoff. It would be far better to get a hold of the
book instead. It's strange sometimes which films develop a cult following, and
this is one that I will never fully understand. For those of you that already
love the film, I'm happy you've gotten a more definitive version to enjoy. Not
guilty.

Give us your feedback!

Did we give The Last Unicorn: 25th Anniversary Edition a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.